Bonking

When you don't eat or drink enough - it’s a shit and dangerous feeling of being completely depleted. Avoid by keeping your food and water levels topped up.

Bibs

Cycling shorts that act like overalls. You can get cycling shorts with just an elastic waist band which are easier to go the toilet in, but can be less comfortable than bibs and often cause more chaffing.

Cadence

The speed at which you are pedalling, often measured in RPM (revolutions per minute).

Chamois

A fine layer of cushioning in your cycling shorts (made more comfortable by using chamois cream).

Cleats

Something which is attached to the sole of a cyclist's shoe. It is a mechanism that allows the cyclist to clip their feet in and out of their pedals.

Col

A decent sized hill.

Criterium (crit)

A short cycling race that normally lasts less than an hour. Usually on a closed circuit or in a town centre, you repeat one small circuit several times over.

Cyclocross (CX)

Somewhere between road and mountain, Cyclocross is an off-road style of racing that is completed on an obstacle course. Requires riding, running and a lot of bike handling skills.